[OP-F2] Darkness (PM for Invite) (Complete)

[Kotori 0]

The constant noise of dripping water awoke a sleeping girl. Splish. Another drop. Splash. Another pixel of water hitting the floor. That was strange. The female player didn't recall ever falling asleep in a cavern. She never remembered feeling cold although she was shivering in a fashion that seemed inhumanely possible. Kotori leaned forward, unaware of the area she was. Most likely she as located on the fourth floor, but she couldn't tell. It was dark. A sharp pain went to her spine and she looked to see her arms disappearing. She was fading away. Was she dead? 

 

The brunette's eyes opened up, breathing heavily and almost to the point of sweating. She had been dreaming of dying. It was absolute nightmare. Kotori let out a sigh of relief, happy to know that the incident was just a dream after all. The girl got up slowly, content that she was actually where she originally fell asleep at, the redwood trees of floor two. Materializing her dagger, she began to take a walk through the area. It was a beautiful area, a shame that she had never visited them before now and even more shameful that she took a nap instead.

[XWuZHeAR 0]

Maruchan and I are leaping from tree to tree as we start doing ariel tricks. I corkscrew as Maruchan jumps off my chest when it faces the sky. I then grabbed a branch and after swinging all the way around a few times flung myself to another branch keeping momentum. I then suddenly sensed something as did Maruchan. We hurried over and saw kotori seemingly have a nightmare. We silently watched for a little bit then eventually she woke up.

"Hey hey there sleeping beauty... Why are you always sleeping in the woods? Granted one of those times it was my faughlt but stil it is dangerous you know." I said to kotori as I made my way down branch to branch.

Maruchan then darted out from behind me and proceded to lick her hand. He always does this in fact I side stepped to let him go forward.

"Yeah you two have met so do whatever." I said as I began stretching out my back.

"So what's going on? You trying to do a quest or something?... I could help you know." I told kotori while looking up at the sky.

[Oikawa 1]

The shop was empty as usual. It had been a few days since Oikawa had made his announcements. Much to his dismay, he hadn't had heard anything from Kotori. Maybe I should pm her. See if she wants to talk about it. Would that be weird? Just do it. If you don't, you'll think yourself out of it. Swiping his HUD, he brought up his messenger and typed up a message for the brunette. After he was done, he sent it and petted King. 'Maybe we'll get to see her again King. Maybe.."

 

 

To: Kotori

From: Oikawa

 

Hey ...It's been a while since my um..er.. confession. Have time to chat today?

[Kotori 0]

Kotori's eyes slanted, dreading the voice of the boy who had found her. Out of every person she didn't want to talk to, he was number one on that list. He had found her, somehow. The only positive way she could see this was one poor girl wouldn't have to deal with his nonsensical pick up lines that he oh so often loved to use. "Its dangerous, maybe, but not as dangerous as being around you." she scoffed, showing her obvious dislike of him. His dog seemed to just want her attention, but she couldn't blame those cute adorable eyes so she let him lick her hands. "I'm traveling, simple as that." she muttered. Just then a notification appeared in front of her, a PM. Opening her menu, she was it was Oikawa. The last she had seen him was... Her brain gave a little kick, letting her remember that a certain boy was behind her. She concealed the PM and read as quickly as she could. Kotori typed a quick response and closed her menu. Maybe something good could come out of today.
 

To: Oikawa
From: Kotori
 
Um.. sure, you can track me from your friends list. A certain letter before Y is here though..

[XWuZHeAR 0]

Kotori didn't seem excited in the least to see me... That's a bit of a blow to the ego. Kotori then went on to explain she was just simply traveling. Then she some sort of message to read and reply to. Well I guess she's going somewhere and I sorta feel like I should help her.

"Traveling huh?... How about I escort you? Atleast until he reach a safezone." I offered to kotori as I began walking in the direction I saw her traveling before I started talking with her.

My mind races back to the events that took place on floor four. I admit it I felt bad and don't know what came over me but, I supose I just have to make it up anyway I can.

"Hey kotori... I really do feel bad for what I did to you. Im sorry it's just the things you said... Some real world stuff was brought back to me and... I don't know Its just troubling." I told kotori in a very apologetic voice.

[Oikawa 1]

Oikawa paced the length of the shop. The anticipation was killing him. Ping. Flicking his HUD, the blonde quickly read his latest message and couldn't help but smile when he read the contents. We can meet up today! But, now I have to deal with X... Oddly I feel like this isn't going to bode well... Typing away, he flicked the messenger away and grabbed King. "Oi King. Seems our day is just getting started."

 

To: Kotori

From: Oikawa

 

Alright! I'll meet up with you soon, and X is there... Oh boi...

 

Bringing up his contact list, he hovered over Kotori's name and selected the friend tracker option. Floor 2? In the forest? Well at least it's sorta secluded...After checking his gear and closing up shop, Oikawa quickly made it to the teleport gate and shouted for floor two.

[Kotori 0]

"Escort me? Who said I was going anywhere?" Kotori asked. She grimaced at the idea of X following her the entire day. She was grateful that Oikawa had decided he was going to join up, she couldn't imagine staying sane without him. It seemed that the boy behind was feeling guilty of some sorts because he decided to apologize for what he did to her. "If you want to really be sorry for doing that, forget that happened and fix your issues because for a moment there, I saw you enjoying my hostility. I didn't tell anyone, but I still did notice that." She didn't care at all about his apology, for weeks now she had forgotten about that. Ping. Another PM, most likely from Oikawa. She smiled, there was going to be a silver lining to this day. The girl typed up a new message and forwarded it to him.

 

To: Oikawa

From: Kotori

 

Please do hurry up, he's being apologetic for some reason. He hasn't used a pick-up line either, which is strange. Something's up.

 

[XWuZHeAR 0]

Kotori expectedly questioned my apologetic behavior and the such. My simple idea is it just happens, I was simply reminded of Someone I miss a lot. To be honest the whole time I was on the 4th floor I wasn't exactly trying to go anywhere with her I was just poking fun.

"Well that's a hard area for me to explain... I was simply reminded how someone close to me used to treat me before this game." I told kotori looking around the forest.

Maruchan began doing circles around kotori's feet barking. Maruchan loves the attention of girls with soft hands so I supose he's acting normal. I wouldn't say I'm not acting normal, this is usually how these things go. I then began picking up little rocks and throwing them at a tree.

"I just miss her I guess..." I said out loud with a sigh.

[Oikawa 1]

The European inspired city of Urbus was as bustling as ever. Metal clanged and resounded against the cobbled roads as players flocked to and fro. Had any business here, Oikawa might've felt inclined to explore considering he skipped this floor for the most part. However, he only had one thing on his mind, Kotori. Rushing from the safety of the city streets, The boy and his cub raced along a trodden path leading to the forests that lined the area ahead of them.

 

Ping

 

A message from Kotori I hope. Reading it over, Oikawa simply closed the message and picked up his pace. Checking his tracker periodically, he narrowed down the area and began darting between the slender, tower-like trees as he searched for Kotori and X. Hearing some voices and rustling, Oikawa leaped the brush and appeared before the aforementioned players. "K-Kotori..." was all he could mumble before darting his eyes to the player standing near her. "X. Mind telling me what this is all about?"

[Kotori 0]

Kotori looked back, seeing the distress in the boy's face. He wasn't lying about it, she could tell. "At least they're in a better place now.." She added while trying to empathize with him. She couldn't think of anyone that she missed dearly, save for her dad but even then. Her eyes looked back down at the ground. Maybe he wasn't really enjoying her pain, just that he saw somebody in place of her. "K-Kotori..." The girl instantly turned around to see Oikawa standing behind the two of them. He finally was able to track her down. "H-hey Oikawa..." she muttered already feeling her face grow scarlet. It was still awkward for the both of them after he what he confessed.

[XWuZHeAR 0]

"Oh no she's not dead, she was just someone I left behind in the real world... Who I need to see again." I told kotori first looking at her then down at the ground.

After a few moments I had figured out who kotori had been PMing the whole time. It was Oikawa whom I had cut ties with the last time I saw him. The man leading me said not to fight him just yet for some reason, I don't care as long as I get paid so i comply.

"Relax Oikawa we weren't hooking up or anything, don't get all phsyco in front of kotori. You know me... I am everywhere." I joked to Oikawa seeing that he was showing sings of frustration.

I'm usually pretty calm a little hyper active but yeah I'd say I'm pretty chill about everything. Then again I am sorta addicted to Mari'a calming potion so maybe a bit of a drawback there. I then looked down at Maruchan who is now begging for kotori to pick him up.

"Psst kotori, he wants you to pick him up." I said as I pointed down at the jumping pup.

[Oikawa 1]

Her blushing expression spread across her face like wildfire as she replied with a hello. Focusing back on X, Oikawa listened to his explanation. "Honestly, hooking up was the least of my worries. I heard what happened last time and I feared that your emotions might best you again. And you're just not gonna drop the psycho thing are you?" Oikawa took a calming breath and looked back at X. "Look I'm not here to cross paths with you. I'm actually here for Kotori. If you'd be so kind to give us some time to chat. I'd greatly appreciate it." 

 

Oikawa watched X for a reaction. The last thing he wanted was conflict. He just wanted to spend time with Kotori. And hopefully figure out where they stand from here on out.

[Kotori 0]

Kotori's eyebrows raised up in confusion when X described the person that he missed wasn't dead. She was confused about the fact that he had gotten so angry over somebody who is still alive. Nevertheless, his next comments annoyed Oikawa somewhat. The boy, taller than both the blonde and herself had called him psycho again, something was looking to be a regular occurrence. The girl tried saying something about what had happened, but was too shy to say anything at all. Her face was already flushing with crimson grew so even more as he finished his last sentence. She felt just so awkward about it, especially since she never experienced this at all in real life. Her eyes looked down at the whimpering dog which at the moment seemed to want her affection. She didn't want to carry it, but she did pet the small animal so that it would calm down a bit.

[XWuZHeAR 0]

My head dropped a little to the side as Oikawa kept talking. The first thing that blew my mind was that he wasn't worried about us hooking up. To make the matter even more questionable he even said he knew about the events of a few nights ago which included me flirting with her.

"Wait you don't care? The hell? Aren't you two like dating or whatever? And how the hell am I gonna drop the whole psycho thing, when you tried to kill me and the others? You can say to leave it in the past all you want but there's nothing stopping you from snapping at anytime." I told Oikawa while taking out the last bit of calming potion I had left.

I took a gulp of the half full vial and instantly felt better. As Oikawa continued to talk kotori stood silent and petted Maruchan. wiped away a bit of potion that stuck to my mouth and sucked it off my hand quickly. Oikawa then requested to be alone with kotori for a second. After eyeing him up and down a little I thought about his other half.

"I think il stay." I said while crossing my arms and keeping a serious look on my face.

[Kiru 0]

I rubbed my forehead and blinked slowly, I had fallen asleep on the ground again. I cast an arm over my eyes to shield my eyes from the blinding sunlight and let out a sigh of annoyance, I had no recollection of when I had lost consciousness. With my free hand I opened my HUD display and checked the time, just past noon. I pursed my lips together and knitted my eyebrows together. "I was asleep for almost sixteen hours, okay. There's nothing I can do to change that, but now I have to be especially productive to make up for the time I lost." With a deep breath I stood up and inspected the area around me. Surrounding me were flowers and bushes and trees. The spot I had chosen to sit was a patch of daisies.There were a few couples but no seemed to be very concerned with my presence, all they cared about was the person they sat with. Seeing the players around me being so focused on each other caused a pit pf sadness to form in my stomach. The lovers reminded me of Keith, and thus forcing the events to occur in my head once more. It had been a little over a week since I found out that Keith disappeared but I was still in bad shape. My hair, now dotted with blades of grass, was all mixed up. Black strands of hair were on the left side, white hairs were on the right side, and my bangs looked uneven above my dulled eyes. Under my color drained eyes were dark circles from the lack of sleep, which contrasted horribly with my porcelain skin. I didn't notice this of course, I pressed forward to the town of Urbus without giving the players around me a second glace. Before I left though I picked a daisy and placed it behind my left ear. Satisfied with the simple yet strong object in my hair I walked forward. 

 

My black boots pushed deep into the grass, leaving deep marks in the ground behind me. There were no longer flowers around me, just grass and a few trees scattered about. I continued to walk without pausing until I saw the town, it was only a mile or two away. I opened my menu and took out a piece of bread. It had been awhile since I had actually eaten something, probably a few days even. I took a bite and began walking until, only to pause in my tracks. Just ahead to my left were two familiar faces and a girl to accompany them. The blonde was for sure someone I knew while the guy with black hair and a yipping dog was even easier to distinguish. It was X and Oikawa. I had recently seen X but Oikawa? It had been at least two months since my last meeting with him. Usually I would feel nothing of this but now I felt a little guilty. I had been so wrapped up in hunting down mavericks, the wedding that never happened, and overall the game that I had forgotten about people like Oikawa, people who still respected me. I stood away from them, debating whether or not to say hi while eating my bread slowly to conserve the little taste it had. 

[Oikawa 1]

"A few things X. One, not once did I say I didn't care. I professed my love for her which is just about as caring as it gets. Two, we're not dating...at least not yet.." The second part of that statement coming out a little slower than the rest. "Thirdly, I know what I did. I know it was wrong. And I'm sorry for that. But if I can forgive you for your idiocy, constant antics, attacking an innocent girl and lord knows whatever else you done, you can at the least move on from our one problem. I'm already granting you a rematch. What more do you want from me?"

 

Taking another calming gulp of air. Oikawa felt another presence among them. Cocking his head tot he side, he noticed a certain two-toned haired girl observing from a distance. Kiru.. I wonder how she's holding up. I've heard rumors here and there, but I'd much rather here it from her. Maybe she'll come over here. But I suppose that's for another time. X is my current issue. Returning his gaze to X and concluded, "I'm over this quarreling X and after our battle we can sever ties and never speak again for all I'm concerned. As for you staying and watching, I can't make you go but I suppose I can postpone our talk if that's okay with you Kotori?" he inquired as he turned to face her.

 

"Oh and for the record X, I'm in control of myself and know when to stop. The question is can you control yourself? What's stopping you from having another outburst like the one you had against Kotori?"

[Kotori 0]

Kotori stood absolutely still, the only visible movement was the periodical up and down of her chest. Her ears picked up a faint noise that barely could be heard over the sound of Oikawa's voice. Someone was there, somebody who didn't make herself known to the group. The pale girl, with her oak hair swaying in the wind, rotated on the spot. A girl. A lone girl with hair unlike anything the brunette had seen before. It was dual-colored. At first, she grew a bit worried as to the intentions of the girl. A lone green cursor appeared. Not a player killer, not a threat." She thought. It seemed Oikawa noticed her too, except she was a face of recognition in his. He knew her. The blonde decided to turn his attention away from the player and then scold X some more. He asked Kotori if she was okay with postponing the talk, the girl nodded in approval. This felt awkward as well, she was just staring at her as if it was some rare wild animal. Instead of staying with the group, she headed out towards the newcomer. "I uh.. couldn't help but walk up to you, sorry about the staring, but your hair looks very nice and it seemed Oikawa over the knows you? If you'd like, you could join us. We don't bite.. cept maybe X." She offered the stranger companionship, it was a bit obvious she was in distress because of the dark bags under her eyes and the pieces of grass littered all over her hair.

[XWuZHeAR 0]

"The hell what do you mean you can forgive for my antics and having fun so I should be able to forgive you for trying to kill me? Screw you I am not the psychopath! I've also never killed anyone or seriously tried too! Not even considering the fact that all of those things you listed are nothing compared to what you did to me! Simply saying your sorry doesn't make anyone who knows any better feel better. Your a pyschopath with an alternate side that can come out at anytime which makes you too dangerous to be around people and I don't want to see anyone die is that too much to ask for?" I yelled in response to Oikawa.

Jesus Christ how the hell does he think I'm in the wrong here? It's rediculous just plain stupid doesn't make any sense what so ever. The request to not let an unstable murderer around people is too much? It's bull there's no way any sane person should disagree with me. I then sighed hard and walked in a circle to calm myself. Just then I watched as Maruchan instantly ran to Kiru and began panting and wagging his tail at her. It seems he remembers her like he does any other girl. Damn it why the hell does no one get it besides me? Although with Kiru here there's no way he can pull off anything but, kiru's not gonna always be there is she?

"Hey Kiru! Jesus you look like hell, come on over here there's someone I want you to meet." I yelled over to Kiru waving my hand towards my direction.

Last I checked she's a maverick Hunter right? I wonder what her stance on the situation is.

[Kiru 0]

For a moment I listened in on their conversation. It was something about Oikawa losing control. This struck me as odd considering that I never thought of him as a violent person, he seemed calm and polite around Keith and I. When I met him I completely blew up at him, threatening him with my dagger and almost attacking him because he decided to wake me up. He wasn't really fazed by it, he apologized and we all moved on after Keith mistook him for a maverick. I was glad that he was still alive, especially when he knew who Vile was and who Keith and I were. X, on the other hand was no surprise that he lost control, he was always so unstable to me. So no matter what I heard that X had done wouldn't really surprise me all that much. I finished the last bite of my bread and swallowed hard. From what I heard so far it sounded like something Arek and I would fight about, something stupid and incomprehensible. I chuckled thinking about Arekkusu, he and I really didn't get along very well. In fact, every time we met if would surely end in a battle. If anyone was around the two of us when we were fighting it wouldn't be good for their health, plus it'd be a little akward. Snapping back to reality I focused back on the group, there was someone approaching me. 

 

The girl looked visibly uncomfortable approaching me, but even with that look on her face she still came forward and spoke to me. The girl with brown hair first apologized for staring at me, and that my hair looked nice. I scoffed a little but covered it with a cough and unintentionally glared at the player in front of me. I crossed my arms and replied without bothering to filter my speech. "I'm used to being stared at for my hair, my beauty, my level...but yeah, it's fine I guess. And yes, Oikawa knows me very well, so does X. I would rather not join you but I would like to speak with a certain blonde haired boy about a blue haired fiance." I stated in a normal tone. I then let a sickening smile creep across my face. "Oh, I'm sure they don't bite, but then thing is, I do. Be careful who you talk to or you could end up dead." After I finished speaking I felt a warm presence on my leg, I already knew it was Maruchan, X's dog. I uncrossed my arms and picked up the familiar, not even resisting the urge to cuddle with the adorable dog. I pet it behind the the ears and blocked out all noise around me until I heard X screaming at me. I sighed tiredly at his words. "Thanks, you don't even say a proper hello but you go right on ahead and talk about me appearance? Now I'm just hurt, I thought we were almost friends. Heh, I don't know what I look like right now but if someone who normally compliments me says I look like crap...well...I guess I look pretty bad." I laughed and didn't fix my hair, even with the confirmation that it was messy. I gently let it down and walked over to X. "Now, don't say anything like that to me again. And I already know Oikawa by the way." 

[Oikawa 1]

Oikawa simply stood there and let X yell away. Listening to what he had to say would be easier if he remained calm but he's suppose to be the one with better self control. Shifting his stance, the blonde crossed his arms as X concluded. "I no where near succeeded. Last I recall I had you then you disappeared as we made it to the sixth floor. You were kidnapped at best with the intent to kill. Its not like I ever once damaged you or even held a blade to your throat. Nonetheless, like I said, what I did was wrong. But oddly for me being a "psychopath" *air quote fingers*, More people seem to be comfortable around me than yourself. I've gotten myself together. I've made changes. I put the past behind me and took the personality with it. Again whether you believe me or not is irrelevant. The only thing that matters is who I am now."

 

Absent-mindedly Oikawa manged to notice Kotori approach Kiru while he and X were arguing. Oh I hope Kiru's in a decent mood. She can have a mean tongue when she wants too. And given the rumors and state she's in, I can believe that she may come off as hostile like when we first met. The girls seemed to be talking alright until X blurted out about Kiru's appearance. She of course replied in her usual manner as she approached X.

 

Turning to face her, Oikawa offered his hello. "Long time no see Kiru-sama. It's been a while."